To improve therapeutic strategies, it is important to identify factors that affect survival times.

The age, bilirubin, international normalized ratio, and creatinine scoring system was developed previously to determine the prognosis of patients with alcoholic hepatitis.

Dr Ramón Bataller and colleagues from Spain studied effects of acute kidney injury on survival of patients with alcoholic hepatitis.

The team retrospectively analyzed data from 103 patients with biopsy-proven alcoholic hepatitis.

Overall 90-day mortality was 23%

Clinical Gastroenterology & Hepatology

Acute kidney injury was defined as an abrupt reduction in kidney function that resulted in an absolute increase of at least 0.3 mg/dL in serum levels of creatinine from baseline.

The research team found that 28% of patients developed acute kidney injury during hospitalization, with a median time to diagnosis of 3 days.

Overall 90-day mortality was 23%, which was significantly higher among patients with acute kidney injury than those without.

The team observed that age, bilirubin, international normalized ratio, and creatinine score, and development of acute kidney injury were the most accurate independent predictors of 90-day mortality.

The researchers noted that presence of systemic inflammatory response syndrome, serum bilirubin, and international normalized ratio at admission were the most accurate predictors of acute kidney injury.

The team found that the AKIN criteria were more accurate than traditional criteria for renal failure in predicting 90-day mortality.

Development of acute kidney injury reduces survival of patients with alcoholic hepatitis, in the short term.

Dr Ramón Bataller and colleagues conclude, "The AKIN criteria are useful and more accurate than traditional criteria in predicting mortality."

"Strategies to prevent acute kidney injury therefore should be considered in the management of patients with alcoholic hepatitis."